IMO a well-balanced ecosystem reflects nature as best as possible. As with all things, proper research is important and there is no one-sized fits all approach to a CUC system. I am not a fan of a huge CUC crew but do believe certain inverts should be kept to keep detritus, algae, in check. However, a properly maintained and balanced system should not have much in the way of nuisance algae to begin with - but of course - nothing is perfect, certainly not in the reefing world.
I'm confused about "clean up crews"
- Thread starter Dmsick
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Ferrell
Valuable Member
Hermits are big a$$es. I had five and after decimating the snails the went for the frogspawn. Banished them Little fellers right away. My 75 has 2 turbos, 4 ceriths, couple of bumblebees, 3 nassarius, 2 fighting conchs and a few trocous which by the are really cool when their shells start to grow. Oh and a Sally Lightfoot crab.
OP
OP
Dmsick
Active Member
I think I'm going to hold off on crabs for now. I'll see how it goes with an assortment of snails and then maybe add a crab or two if I need to. I appreciate all the feedback!
mitch91175
2500 Club Member
You could add a sally lightfoot without any issues whatsoever; plus they are super cool little crabs that will clean the underside of your rock work.
WannaBSpaghetti
Active Member
I was under the impression that all crabs essentially have a destiny of becoming a massive pain in any reefers butt due to their tendencies to pick at LPS and Softies as well as being opportunistic in regards to slow-moving fish and other inverts.
Speaking of other inverts - what are the various species of Shrimp's role in a CUC? I usually hear them spoken about as though they are a solution to problems (peppermints for aiptasia for example) but I dont hear much as far as ongoing maintenance or CUC benefits.
mitch91175
2500 Club Member
I personally haven't had issues with my sally lightfoot that I am aware of so you can take that with a grain of salt. I personally think that people that have issues essentially starve their tanks to the point where they have to get predatory and grab whatever they can (just my opinion).
Well you already mentioned one with peppermint shrimp for aiptasia control (I never used it for that those and also do not keep peppermint shrimp either; prefer cleaner shrimp because of their nature to pick parasites and dead tissue from fish). Most (if not all) shrimp will also consume food that they can grab as well.
You'll find out soon enough that some of the info that people spew out of their mouths are because they had a bad experience (but doesn't always correlate to what you would experience). Every tank is different and the way you tank is setup may/will allow for something that mine won't. Just gotta decide what's gonna work for you based on good info and trial and error.
I have used shrimp for cuc in freshwater. Saltwater i view them more as ornamental with possibility they will be helpful for a specific need. Some like a harlequin shrimp do not serve any part of your cleanup crew unless you have a coral eating starfish problem.
I really like red bands for rocks and glass. They are not as efficient as turbos but can right themselves, dont knock rock work over, and help reduce my glass cleaning.
One creature id like to add in the future are sps crabs. To test their role in a reef tank. In the wild sps colonies with them are statistically healthier than those without.
I really like red bands for rocks and glass. They are not as efficient as turbos but can right themselves, dont knock rock work over, and help reduce my glass cleaning.
One creature id like to add in the future are sps crabs. To test their role in a reef tank. In the wild sps colonies with them are statistically healthier than those without.
mitch91175
2500 Club Member
Similar threads
